Free Catalan language courses

Learning to speak Catalan when you come to live in Catalonia is one of the best ways to further integrate yourself into a society that, although fully bilingual and completely adapted to that way of life, appreciates any effort made by new arrivals to take an interest in the Catalan language. Furthermore, as is the case everywhere, the local language is an important key to understanding and getting involved with the local culture, literature, history, media and people. However, it is also an invaluable tool that can open many doors in the labour market given that at least a basic knowledge of Catalan is a requirement for most jobs, especially those involving public relations.

At the technical and sworn translation company Tradel Barcelona, we have produced a useful guide that will help you embark on the study of Catalan by taking advantage of the free courses (or at very low rates) on offer from the Consorci per a la Normalització Lingüística. Considering that the website is in Catalan only, we have summarised some of the information that we believe will be of interest to you.

The available courses range from beginners to advanced, and include basic, elementary, intermediate and sufficiency. Both the beginners and basic classes (which include various stages) are free. The beginners level Catalan classes are aimed at new arrivals in Catalonia and should help them express themselves using everyday phrases to make getting by easier. The basic level, also free, works on the spoken aspects of the language and comprises 250 learning hours. From the elementary level upward, the courses are no longer free of charge. Information on prices can be found here.

The only requirement for gaining access to these courses is that you must be at least 16 years old and not received any prior compulsory education in Catalonia. Also worth noting is that students may choose between a number of different study methods: classroom-based, distance learning or a mixture of both. The courses can be studied in three or four month blocks, based on whether you would prefer a more or less intensive learning experience.

If what you want is to learn Catalan, you should definitely visit Parla.cat. By filling in this form, you will gain access to an online space called Rambla Virtual where you will find links to media in Catalan, Catalan literature, videos, online libraries, music and leisure activities. Finally, it is important to know that these courses are not only taught in Barcelona but also in dozens of other cities throughout Catalonia. Here is a map by municipality or area.

Considering that Tradel Barcelona is a company engaged in official and technical translation services, we would like to remind you that we are available to assist you with any translation requirement you may have, whether you are an individual or a company. Our services range from the translation of CVs into Catalan for individuals to the translation of technical documents or websites for companies wishing to advertise their products in Catalan. We also translate all manner of official documents. Although we have focused on Catalan in this article, please remember that we translate to/from any language in the world.